Treading It Up

There are also a lot of other dogs in our lives between our two, our friends, and our families. When it came to our new stairs we knew there would be scratches and marks, but let’s just say we weren’t expecting total destruction, at least not so soon.

It turns out dogs don’t get great grip going down the stairs so it looks like they are running in place a la Wiley Coyote, or they get nervous and fly down them so fast while digging in the entire way. While our girls have become used to the stairs finally, and we’ve taught them how to go down gently, the damage had been done.

Andy kept asking me to look into options to protect the stairs going forward, but permanent carpet in my house is a huge zero. We had a permanent runner before renovations and the amount of hair/dirt, etc. I found underneath of it when we ripped it up was enough for me to swear them off. Also, I LOVE the feeling of wood stairs below my feet. I do not love however the damage being done to the stairs.

After looking online and discussing it more, we landed on carpet stair treads that can more or less be held in place with a piece of anti-slip mat beneath the carpet. They fit the bill in three ways:

They aren’t permanent. This means no holes to patch down the line when we refinish the treads.

They are easily cleaned. All I need to do it pick them up, vacuum under them, shake the rugs off, and toss them in the washer and dryer.

They’ll give the dogs security. Our dogs have really appreciated the other two area rugs we’ve put up at the top of the stairs and on the landing. Winnie has definitely felt more comfortable walking around in these areas.

About two months ago I started doing some research knowing I wanted at least partially natural fiber, and a neutral light color. I looked around and found a couple different options, and while nice they were ultimately too expensive. My favorite on Amazon, would have been just right but I couldn’t stomach paying almost $32.00 a tread. It would have come out to $320.00 not including the non-slip mat, tax and shipping. No thanks.

I had put the tread issue on the back burner until Andy asked about it again recently. I gave researching a second shot for something both appropriate in material, color and budget and came across these babies on Sierra Trading Post from Colonial Mills. Wool blend? Check. Good price? Check. Oatmeal color? Check. Rounded edges? Eh, we’ll live with them. I also picked up the adhesive kit which I might just buy an extra roll of because it is seriously the best adhesive I’ve ever used. Overall the entire cost, including a discount code they had on the website, came to $153 and change.

Earlier this week this box showed up at my house.

With these inside.

When it came to installation it might have been the absolute easiest project I’ve ever done in my life. I needed one tool – a box knife.

First, I figured out where I wanted each tread to go and since our treads are the same exact size the whole way up and we don’t have to deal with a tapering staircase like some people do when they install a runner. I decided to center them after deciding I didn’t like them closer to the wall.

Second, I measured out the adhesive which is sticky on one side and a protective sheet on the other. You can either cut it before you stick it down on your tread, or do what I did and stick it down on the tread while on the roll. Once I had it where I wanted it I simply pulled slightly up and slashed it right below where it came off the roll (so I wouldn’t cut into the next layer on the roll). Note that I did not cut on the stair itself, that would have left a gash in staircase.

Once it was all laid down I peeled the plastic off, and then laid the carpet tread on top of it. I made sure to press down all over the tread to get good contact and make it stick well.

The dogs are particularly huge fans of them. Winnie and Rosie have realized they don’t have to worry about grip and have been going up and down them very easily.

There has been one persistent case of stair related stress these treads won’t fix – Primrose trying to steal whatever Winnie is carrying in her mouth while descending the stairs. What a brat. A brat I love very much and who might be starting to think her name is, “LEAVE IT.”

Overall we’ve had the treads installed for a few days now. So far we’re really happy with them. They haven’t shifted a bit despite multiple trips up and down by two adults and two dogs. I even used some of the extra awesome adhesive backing to keep the runner at the top of the stairs in place and it too hasn’t budged which surprised me.

As for cleaning, these treads are meant to be spot cleaned but hah, in our house they’ll be thrown in the washer at some point. I’m sure of it. As for design, they fit the bill for what they are. They might not be the most fashion forward decor item you can put up but sometimes function edges out style and truthfully, we really don’t mind them.

One comment

Heather! I love these! I, too, have no interest in carpeting. I grew up in a house with all wood floors and our little antique house now is the same. But I think this is a great compromise-a nod towards vintage braided rugs. Great choice!

My name is Heather & this blog is all about my life with my husband Andy, our two wonderfully sneaky labrador retreivers Winnie and Rosie, and our little piece of countryside here in Maine. Check out the "About" tab above in the navigation to learn more about who we are, and why this blog is called "Like A Cup of Tea".

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